Automatic draft-controlling device for engines.



' B. PITZPATRIGKQ J3. AUTOMATIC DRAFT CONTROLLING DEVICE FOR ENGINES.

I APPLICATION TILED APR.27, 1914. 1 I 1,1 1 1,450. P n ed Sept. 22, 1914 amuawto n ,512'"J 152 24 723?; 4/; I

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BIRD FITZPATR-ICK- JR-.. OF PENSACOLA. FLORIDA.

AUTOMATIC DRAFT-CONTROLLING DEVICE roe Erismns.

To all whom it 122 my concern Be it known that I, BIRD FrrzPA'rRicK, J r., acitizen of the United States, residing atcPensacola, in the county of Esca mbia and State of Florida. have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Draft-Controlling Devices for Engines; and

I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the inlocomotives. and the object in view'is to produce a simple and efiicient device of thisnature to prevent unnecessary blowing off of steam through the safety or pop valve of the engine. j

- My invention comprises a simpleand eflicient deviceof this, nature having various. details of construction,combinations and'arrangements of parts which: will be hereinafter fully described, shown in the accompanying drawings and then specifically de fined in the: appended claim.

I illustrate my invention in the-accom-.

panying drawings, in which:

Figure .1 is a view-in elevation showing the application of the device to an engine. Fig. 2 is an enlargeddetail sectional view through an automatically operated valve controlled'by pressure of the steam, and 'Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail sectional view through a part .of the apparatus which allows air to enter theapparatus to pass to the stack of the locomotive to destroy the suction or draft therein.

- Reference now being had to the details of the drawings by letter, A designates a valve chamber having an inlet'opening B therein,

- which is adapted to be connected to a boiler affording means whereby the steam may en-.- terthe valve casing. C is an exit opening leading from the valve chamber and through which steam is allowed to pass through the pipe D and communicate with the cylinder Said valve casing A is divided by a diagonally disposed partition A into two compartments, designated respectively by letters A? and A3, and said partitionis provided with an opening A", the edge of which Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 27, 1914.

PatcntedSept. 191 4. Serial No. 834,741.

is beveled, and H designates a valve adapted to be normally held seated against the beveled edge of the. opening A* through the medium of the spring I which bears against the washer I engaging a "shoulder K upon the stem K. Said stem K is provided with a beveled valve K adapted to seat against the beveled edge of the opening A formed 1n the upperend of the valve cas ng A. A casing L surrounds said spring and an adjusting nut N has a central opening through steam within the latter may exhaust to the atmosphere after the valve H has seated.

The cylinder Fhas a piston M mounted therein, provided with a stem M; and :1

coiled spring Q is mounted about said piston and bears intermediate the inner face of the piston and the 'end M which latter-is aperturd for the reception of the bearing plug P.

Saidcylinde'r has a chamber R attached thereto and one end B of said air chamber is provided with an opening having a plug B through which the stem 1 passes, which stem has an integral valve T thereon. One

endR of the air chamberis provided with an opening having a beveled seat R against which the valve T is normally held by means of the spring S. J

A casing W is bolted or otherwise tastened to-the air chamber and is provided with series of perforations throughwhich air is adapted to enter and the end of the casing W has a plug X, apertured for the reception of the stem T. as shownclearly in Fig. 3 of the drawings.

Leading laterally froni the air chamber is a duct R the ends of which are flanged and apertured as at R for the reception of fastening means whereby the flange may be fastened to the side of a fire box. A lug F projects from the cylinder F and is apertured for thereception of fastening means which cooperate with those passing. through the aperture R to securely hold the device to the smoke box. The duct R leads to the smoke box through which air is allowed to pass to the stack of the engine where it makes exit and serves to lessen thedraft of the furnace, thereby checking the fire and reduring the pressure of the steam;

p In practice,- it is preferable to adjust the.v tension of the spring I so that the valve H,

actuated thereb'y, will operate at about a pound less pressure than -'wouldbe the pressure required to automatically operate the' pop or blowoff valve of'the engine. In operation, therefore, when the pressure ofsteamin the boiler reaches a degree substantially a pound less than that required to operate the blow-ofi' valve, thevalve H will unseat allowing the steam to pass'from the chamber Atto the chamber A and thence through the; pipe which communicates with the interior of the'cylinder F and, acting upon the piston M, will cause the same to move against the tension of the spring Q.

The stem ,M of said piston M, coming in nntactwith the end of the stem T, will impart a longitudinal movement thereto and causethevalve-T to unseat, allowing air to be drawn; through the perforations of the casing through the opening X into the aipchamber R and thence through the duct R";- to carried through the smoke box, to the smok e stack of the locomotive where it makes exit andserves to destroy the suction force,5'causing. excessive draft and thereby putting a damper-upon the tire of the engine and in turn lessening the pressure of the steam, 7 Y

When the pressure reduces to a certain degree to allow the valve H to seat, under tension of the spring bearing against the same, the spring S will cause the valve T v to seat, thus shutting ofi; the supply of air and'the spring Q will: return'the piston M:

to its. normal position. Any exhaust steam remaining in the-cylinder or in the pipe connecting the same and the chamber A will escape through the opening A and thence through the vent L to the atmosphere.

From the foregoing, it will be noted that,

by the provision of a device'made in accordance with my invention, an automatic means is-provided whereby the draft of the engine may. be controlled and which will tend to save fueland water and prevent theengine from blowing oif steam while idle when standing still or when drifting on grades. The apparatus will also enable engineers to keep a good fire in the engines without-the safety valves operating under excessive pressure and will prevent a blow back through the fire door. a m

that I claim to be new is: An automatic draft. regulating apparatus for engines comprising a valve casing with an apertured partition therein, a valve Within said casing the wall ofjthe latter having an aperture, a portion of the stem of said valve being beveled to seat against the marginal edge ofthe opening in the casing, an adjusting nut upon said valve'stem, a spring interposed between the nut and the shoulder upon the stem, a cap having threaded connection with'said adjusting nut, a cylinder,

a pipe communicating between the same and one of the compartments of said valve ca:- ing, a piston within said cylinder, a stem to said piston, a spr1ng bearing between the piston and the end 'of the cylinder, an air BIRD FITZPATRICK, Jr. Witnesses I W, J. ENGLAND, L. TKEINCH. 

